The Latest from the NBA Finals and Thursday’s Game 1 (all times local):
8:50 p.m.
The Golden State Warriors pulled out a 124-114 overtime victory over Cleveland in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after a bizarre ending to regulation.
The game went to OT after Cleveland’s J.R. Smith failed to take the go-ahead shot after a missed free throw Davante Adams Packers Jersey , apparently believing the Cavaliers led by one when it was tied.
The Warriors took advantage of their second chance, opening OT with a 9-0 run to blow it open.
LeBron James‘ highest-scoring postseason game was wasted, as he finished with 51 points.
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8:30 p.m.
Cleveland and Golden State are headed to overtime in Game 1 of what is LeBron James’ highest-scoring game ever in the NBA Finals.
George Hill made a free throw with 4.7 seconds to tie the game, but J.R. Smith apparently didn’t realize the game was tied when he grabbed the rebound of the missed second shot. Smith dribbled backward toward midcourt as teammates pointed toward the basket, and the Cavs couldn’t get a potential winning shot off.
James has 49 points.
The teams also went to OT in Game 1 in 2015, with the Warriors pulling out the victory after Kyrie Irving was injured.
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8:15 p.m.
The 3-pointers haven’t been falling much in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but the Warriors got a couple to go to give them a six-point lead heading to the final stretch.
Draymond Green, who had been struggling badly from outside, snapped a 94-all tie with a 3-pointer with a little more than 5 minutes left. Stephen Curry followed with one to give the Warriors a 100-94 advantage.
Curry has five 3-pointers but the Warriors are just 10 for 32 as a team.
LeBron James has 40 points for the Cavaliers.
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7:55 p.m.
Golden State tried to throw its third-quarter knockdown punch in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but Cleveland took it pretty well.
The Warriors lead 84-78 but it appeared it could be worse after they raced to a quick seven-point lead. Cleveland erased that but Golden State spurted away again a bit toward the end of what’s so often been its dominant period.
LeBron James went to the bench for his second break of the game after missing five straight shots in the quarter. He also matched Michael Jordan during the period by reaching 30 points for the 109th time in a postseason game.
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7:35 p.m.
JaVale McGee got his chance and is making the most of it.
The center was inserted into the starting lineup in the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals and is making an impact on both ends as the Warriors surged into a 66-59 lead.
McGee had played in only nine of Golden State’s 17 games entering the NBA Finals -and only three minutes total in the Western Conference finals- but was sent out with the first unit when the teams returned from the locker rooms.
He played terrific defense on LeBron James on one possession, and later had two baskets to spark another impressive third-quarter start for the Warriors.
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7:10 p.m.
Stephen Curry got the Warriors back to even, and now they get ready for their favorite part of the game.
Curry drained a 3-ponter from about 30 feet to beat the halftime buzzer, tying Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night at 56-all. Golden State had trailed by 11 points earlier in the second quarter before a strong finish.
Curry had 18 points Dak Prescott Jersey Womens , while LeBron James led all scorers with 24.
Now the teams regroup before a quarter the Warriors dominate. They have outscored opponents 519-389 in the postseason, a difference of 130 points, and turned around both Game 6 and 7 against Houston in the Western Conference finals with huge runs in that period.
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7:05 p.m.
LeBron James actually got a rest in the NBA Finals.
After playing all 48 minutes in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, James sat down midway through the second quarter.
He earned it. James had 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting to carry Cleveland to a 51-45 lead over Golden State.
Kevin Love also is playing well with nine points and Larry Nance Jr. is giving Cleveland a lift off the bench.
But Kevin Durant, the MVP of last year’s NBA Finals, is struggling. He started 2 for 8 for six points, missing all three 3-point attempts. Stephen Curry was keeping the Warriors close with 15 points.
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6:40 p.m.
The Cavaliers have the lead but the Warriors appear to have good news.
Klay Thompson returned from the locker room just before the first quarter ended with Cleveland leading 30-29. The All-Star guard missed about half the period after J.R. Smith slid into his left leg while trying to intercept a pass, knocking Thompson to the court.
He got treatment for what the Warriors said was a left lateral leg contusion and returned to the bench to cheers as the period was about to end.
LeBron James had 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting, while Stephen Curry had 11 for the Warriors. Both teams had to be pleased with their starts after falling behind early and having to climb back in their Game 7 victories in the conference finals.
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6:30 p.m.
Golden State guard Klay Thompson has gone to the locker room, limping gingerly after J.R. Smith slid hard into the Warriors left leg at the 6:17 mark of the first quarter.
Thompson lay grimacing in pain, slapping his hands on the court immediately after the play. Thompson appeared to injure the same left knee he hurt in the Western Conference finals.
Smith was making a play on the ball when he seemed to unintentionally undercut Thompson, who did return to the Warriors’ bench afte Julio Jones remains in coach Dan Quinn’s good graces even after missing the opening day of the Atlanta Falcons‘ mandatory minicamp.
Quinn said Tuesday he thought Jones, who missed voluntary offseason workouts Cheap Minkah Fitzpatrick Jersey , would participate in the minicamp. The coach said he found out Monday that Jones would skip the minicamp.
Quinn wouldn’t share details of his conversation with Jones but said ”Sometimes football and business intersect and that’s OK and that happens a lot.”
Jones has three years remaining on his five-year, $71.3 million deal with $47 million in guaranteed money but could soon have the deal tweaked. Quinn said the team is ”right in the middle” of talks with Jones, a five-time Pro Bowl selection.
Quinn has emphasized ”brotherhood” and making sure players do everything as a team. Players stood together as a team on the sideline during the national anthem for all games after two players kneeled in protest early in the 2017 season.
Could Jones’ absence hurt the Falcons’ unity?
”No,” Quinn said. ”I recognize the question, for sure. Do we want everybody here all the time? Hell yeah, like all the time. … What I’d say is if you ask to a man, the guy is a hell of a teammate and the time he spends here, the way he mentors people, how hard he plays, there is plenty of brotherhood in Julio.”
Receiver Mohamed Sanu said he and other players were not impacted by Jones’ absence.
”Whether he’s present or not, we were just focused on what we have to do today,” said Sanu, the team’s No. 2 receiver behind Jones.
Jones Authentic Austin Corbett Jersey , 29, remains one of the league’s top receivers. He earned his fourth straight Pro Bowl berth last season when he had 88 catches for 1,444 yards. It was his fourth straight season with at least 80 receptions and 1,400 receiving yards.
Jones’ salary cap figure of $12.9 million for 2018 ranks seventh among NFL receivers, well behind recent deals signed by Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans ($18.252 million in 2018) and Cleveland’s Jarvis Landry ($15.5 million).
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Monday he has been in talks with Jones and Jones’ agent, Jimmy Sexton.
Sexton did not return a message from The Associated Press.
Jones’ holdout comes after the Falcons made quarterback Matt Ryan the league’s top-paid player this offseason with a five-year extension that could be worth $150 million.
Quinn said he was not disappointed in Jones’ decision to miss minicamp because Jones remained in constant communication and explained why his plans changed.
”Sometimes circumstances change and as long as players communicate with me on why circumstances change, then I never am disappointed as long as communication with me is very clear,” Quinn said. ”… The things that jam me up are when people don’t communicate.”
Quinn wouldn’t say if Jones will be fined for missing the first day of the three-day minicamp.
Without Jones on the field, Ryan’s top targets included Sanu, rookie first-round pick Calvin Ridley and Justin Hardy. Like Jones, Ridley played at Alabama.
An undrafted rookie, Christian Blake, from Northern Illinois Zack Martin Jersey Womens , reached up to make an impressive catch over the middle.
”All those guys, Calvin, Christian Blake, it was good to see those guys make plays and do what they do,” Sanu said.
Quinn praised the rookies’ speed and said the class ”has a chance to be an excellent one.”
NOTES: The team waived S Quincy Mauger, who spent his 2017 rookie season on injured reserve with a knee injury. He was an undrafted free agent from Georgia. … RB Devonta Freeman, who was slowed by a sprained right knee late last season, appeared to be fully recovered on his runs with the first-team offense.
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